Confusion & Cautious Optimism

Awwww thanks

Use the block button.  That's what I do when I find certain people offensive.  It's important to stay informed of the good and bad experiences of other bandsters because the reality is, none of the surgeries are perfect.

Listen and learn but ultimately we all make our own choices and will have our own experiences with our chosen WL tool.

Stay positive and seek out those that you "click" with for your daily support.  There are a lot of great people on this forum! 

Best~
Lisa

Hijack. Lisa, get off OH and start looking up TripAdvisor. You haven't time to waste being on here, you have serious Brit research to do.

I have made the beds up!

Kate

I don't think I could fly across the pond without being attached to an IV bag filled with dilaudid. I've actually been on Tripadvisor trying to find reasonable airfare for a trip to Hawaii this Christmas for myself, The Camel, and the Camel Lights.... Their only half camel so I call them " Camel Lights ", but if you ever come to Cali, I would love to spend some time with you.

Pumpkin, I love meeting wls people, whatever surgery! But Cali is not in my near future. We spent a month in New England a couple of years ago and I met up with lots of OH regulars, including Bette! And Pepsi (Sue) who so very sadly died recently. So i am relying on people coming over here! Promises have been made!!

As retirees, we promised ourselves one big holiday every year or so until we couldn't afford any more or couldn't crawl up the stairs with our zimmer frames! We don't do expensive ones generally as we just pack our backpacks and get on local trains! Next one is Malaya and Borneo for about a month. Then across to Oz (family wedding in Sydney).  So it will be 2013 at the very earliest before another biggie!

Kate

I really and I mean really really hate flying and I'm just a pumpkin. You know that we are full of seeds and empty promises. Beside that I might get airsick and barf......

I appreciate your thoughtful responses. I was not trying to cause a "flamer" or incense anyone.  I was referring in particlar to a couple of posts I read which, paraphrasing said basically "don't do it, you'll regret it, and don't blame me when it fails" .  Maybe I am in the emotional post-surgery phase.  I just bothered me that anyone would be discouraging someone who might not ever make a life-changing step due to fear. 

I understand that sometimes, through no fault of the patient, the band can fail, the body can reject the band, the band can cause problems, etc.  I fully understand that. 

I also understand that sometimes, due to the mental/emotional/life status of the patient, the band can fail due to stress eating, ocd or eating disorder, a sudden tragedy etc.  I also fully undestand that.

I don't want to "block" people because their opinions are different than mine.  Maybe as a newbie I shouldn't have said anything.  I'm just a more upbeat, optimistic person hoping everyone can get the most out of their bands, because I plan on trying to get the most out of mine.  I really want to make a permanent change for the better and I really hope the band works for me.   

I'm cool with your post Curious, in fact I'm pretty sure I would have posted the exact same post if I was a new pre-op coming to this forum looking for support and guidance. Since you're here for support, I'd like to offer some.

In order to be a successful bandster, I encourage you to keep attending WLS support groups in person rather then just on the internet. Last night I attended a WLS orientation with my daughter and came across a support group which I fully intend to participate in. I've been very successful with my weight loss and have not gained back any of my post-op weight.

Good luck and congratulations on your new beginning.

I don't see it as scaring anyone I just want people to know that the band is NOT an effective surgery for most people. Oh sure there are a few very successful people and I applaud and am friends with many of them. However when even the surgeons are now saying that it causes more and more serious problems than they knew of before then I think people need to know this because "some" docs are merely band factories and could care less whether it works, they just want the money. Even my surgeon who is one of the finest in my area is now encouraging patients to consider any other surgery but the band because of all the problems. The worst part is most problems don't occur until 2-3 years out and by that time it's often caused serious and many times irreparable damage to the stomach. So this is not the innocent little surgery that many portray, it can and has been life threatening to quite a few people right here on OH. So I'd rather annoy you if it saves one person the pain and damage that others have had! I agree use the block button and then we'll all be happy.